Legion, who will be a sophomore, transferred from Kentucky last season and will be eligible when first-semester grades are posted. Weber hopes the paperwork is done in time for Detroit so Legion, perhaps the highest rated recruit Weber has brought to Illinois, will get some playing time before the annual game with Missouri in St. Louis on Dec. 23. That's the final game before the Big Ten schedule.

Weber has seen enough of Legion in workouts to believe he'll deliver the outside shooting the Illini have lacked the last two seasons, a major reason they missed the NCAA tournament last spring for the first time since 1999.

"I hope he's a little bit of a gamer," Weber said.

Lining up

Weber indicated he's likely to start out the way he finished last season, with a three-guard lineup. Sophomore Demetri McCamey will run the point with seniors Trent Meacham and Chester Frazier. Sophomore Mike Tisdale will get a chance to start at center, but Weber is concerned about the 7-footer's stamina.

"Can he play more than 20-25 minutes per game?" he asked.

Junior college transfer Dominique Keller appears to have the inside track at power forward, though sophomores Mike Davis, Bill Cole and Richard Semrau are challenging for playing time.

Layups

Meacham, who has been a walk-on since transferring from Dayton after his freshman year, is on scholarship for his senior season. ... The final scholarship went to reserve forward C. J. Jackson, who has returned to basketball after trying to find a niche on the football team as an offensive tackle or tight end in '07. ... Forward Stan Simpson from Simeon, the Illini's only freshman, could be in the running for playing time along the front line, but he's also a redshirt candidate. "He's better than we thought, smarter than I thought, a better athlete than I thought," Weber said.